An ace, tears and a playoff: How Haeran Ryu survived chaotic Sunday to win Evian

As Haeran Ryu tallied up her scorecard on Saturday, she was shocked to see that she had just made major championship history at the Evian. Nine birdies and an eagle saw her post a third-round 11-under 60, the lowest ever score in a women’s major championship, to take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.

Ryu, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship three weeks ago, was 18 holes away from winning consecutive major titles. It was in her grasp and felt like a foregone conclusion, especially after Aki Iwai double-bogeyed the third hole on Sunday to grow Ryu’s lead to five.

But the Evian always delivers Sunday chaos, and this edition was no different.

Brooke Henderson, who started the day seven shots back of Ryu, opened with a birdie at the first. Then she eagled the par-5 seventh before making an ace on the par-3 eighth to move within one of Ryu, who played the first eight holes in one over.

Iwai responded from her early stumbles by making birdies at six and nine to get within two of Ryu at the turn.

Ryu’s lead stayed at two until Iwai made birdies at 14 and 15 to catch her at 18 under. One hole later, Henderson made a birdie of her own to pull even with Ryu and Iwai, setting up a dramatic two-hole sprint for a major title.

Iwai and Ryu both made par on the par-4 17th, but Henderson missed a three-foot par putt to fall one back heading to the par-5 18th.

But the door quickly swung back open for Henderson when Iwai and Ryu both lost their tee shots to the left, forcing them to lay up. Henderson, meanwhile, split the fairway and stuffed her second to eight feet for an eagle look.

Ryu and Iwai both found the greens with their third but were farther out than Henderson. If either made birdie, it would force Henderson to roll in her eagle to force a playoff. If both missed, Henderson would have a look to win in regulation.

Ryu went first. A day after making nine birdies, she had gone 17 holes without recording a circle. Now she needed one to ensure she’d at least get to a playoff. She put a confident stroke on the ball, and it barely caught the left edge of the cup and dropped to move her to 19 under.

Iwai went next. The 24-year-old from Japan’s previous best major finish came at last month’s KPMG Women’s PGA, where she finished in a tie for 19th. She already had the best major finish of her young career secured but needed to make a medium-length putt to head to a playoff with Ryu and potentially Henderson. Her putt missed left, leaving the stage for Henderson.

It had been a blistering hot Sunday for Henderson, who had also made two eagles. A third would send her to a playoff. But she had also missed very short par putts at 14 and 17 that put her behind the eight ball heading to the final hole.

Henderson stood over her ball, took a deep breath and rolled it right in the heart.

As Henderson and Ryu were preparing for their playoff, Iwai’s emotions flowed as she talked about her first major near-miss.

“I got confidence. I never gave up,” an emotional Iwai said as the tears started to flow.

After the interview, Lydia Ko consoled Iwai as she processed a putt that “just missed” and would’ve sent her back up 18 with Henderson and Ryu.

Back on the 18th tee, this time it was Henderson who pulled her tee shot left while Ryu striped it down the middle. After Henderson laid up, Ryu found the green in two, giving herself a lengthy eagle look.

With Ryu almost assured of a two-putt birdie, Henderson knew she needed to stick her approach shot close to have a chance to extend the playoff. But she tugged it left, and her ball rolled off the green and nestled in the rough.

Ryu cozied her first putt up to four feet, leaving Henderson with what was likely a must-make chip for birdie to send the tournament to a second playoff hole. But Henderson’s magic finally ran out in France as the chip missed low, leaving Ryu four feet for back-to-back majors. Four feet for what she said on Saturday would be “an amazing dream,” something that seemed worlds away three weeks ago before she was doused in champagne at Hazeltine after her first major win.

Ryu stood over the ball and calmly rolled it into the center of the cup to claim her second consecutive major title. Ryu’s win brought more LPGA history, making it the first time two players have won back-to-back majors in the same season. Nelly Korda opened the year with wins at the Chevron and U.S. Women’s Open.

“Feels like unreal right now,” Ryu said after her win. “Because today [my] shots [were] pretty good but my putting is bad. I [was] just thinking like oh, God, please go in the hole, please. Every hole, I just pray. But the last hole and the birdie hole there, just thank God I can say that part. And it feels like just unreal dream right now.”

Henderson, who finished third to Ryu at the Women’s PGA, didn’t lament an opportunity lost. She viewed a chaotic Sunday in which she raced up the leaderboard and came up a tick short as another building block toward major championship No. 3, one that might come in three weeks at the AIG Women’s Open.

“I played awesome today, which is really exciting,” Henderson said. “To finish second in a major and third couple weeks ago, definitely game is in a really good spot. Obviously, it’s very exciting to get into a playoff. Wish I had played a little bit better, but Haeran has been playing great.

“I am happy with how I played. Lots of birdies and eagles, which is really fun.”

Back on the 18th green, Ryu was once again showered in champagne, the spoils a major championship winner gets to enjoy while processing their new place in the game.

“This is just a dream right now,” Ryu said. “Because before three weeks [ago], I don’t have a major championship, but now two in a row. So I’m so happy and — I can’t believe it right now.”